


and there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear

by Anonymous



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Feels, Fluff, M/M, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:55:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,489
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26656996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: The wedding day of Prince Max of the Netherlands and Prince Charles of Monaco finally arrived, and brought with it a lot of feelings — anxiety, fear, longing, happiness — but they will be fine as long as they have each other.
Relationships: Charles Leclerc/Max Verstappen
Comments: 7
Kudos: 74
Collections: Anonymous





	and there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to write something based on my slight obsession with royal weddings, shout-out to my 9-year-old self who lost an important exam to watch William and Kate's wedding.
> 
> One more thing: Charles is the Prince of Monaco, but Lorenzo is the heir, so after the wedding, he is going to be addressed as Prince of the Netherlands, more or less what happened to Princess Caroline of Monaco who today is addressed as Princess of Hanover.

Charles sighed deeply as he stared at his reflection in the mirror, the sparkling medals he won over the years as Lieutenant Colonel of the Compagnie des Carabiniers du Prince and Frigate Captain of the French Navy decorated his winter uniform of Monaco's Royal Guard. His wedding day had finally arrived, and he still couldn't believe that in a few hours he would be married.

“You look so gorgeous, mon bébé,” Pascale whispered emotionally from where she was standing at the door, surprising Charles who hadn't noticed her arrival.

“Maman,” Charles said as he took large steps toward his mother, throwing himself gently into her arms in the same way he did when he was just a child. “I thought you were going straight to the church.”

“I was going, but I needed to stop by first to see you and wish you all the happiness in the world on your wedding day,” Pascale ran her fingers through Charles's hair, a little smile adorning her lips. “I also brought you a gift.”

“What?” Charles asked enthusiastically, his eyes twinkling with curiosity.

Pascale laughed at her son's behavior, “You will marry, become Prince of the Netherlands and nonetheless remains a child.”

The two laughed, Pascale opened the small purse that was in her hand and Charles was surprised because she rarely kept anything there, it was just another etiquette rule which allowed her to send signals to her security guards as Sovereign Princess of Monaco.

She pulled a small pearl rosary out of her handbag, and Charles' confusion just increased, “What is it, mama?”

“This rosary belonged to your father, and he was carrying it on our wedding day,” Pascale explained with a mournful smile on her face, the memories of one of the happiest days of her life coming back. “And I want you to have it today so that your marriage with Max is as blessed as ours, you deserve to be so happy, mon bébé.”

Charles felt the tears building up in his eyes, blinking quickly in a desperate attempt to contain the cry he knew he wouldn't be able to stop after the first tear fell, and he cried enough in the last months, remembering almost every day that his father, Jules, and Anthoine wouldn’t be present on one of the most important days of his life.

“You know,” Pascale spoke wiping her tears and trying to make the mood lighter, after all, it was a day of celebration. “Lorenzo and I were remembering the day you and Max met, you were only eight years old and his family officially visited ours, and you two ended up in the newspapers all over the world with that picture of you grimacing at each other during dinner.”

Charles laughed light-heartedly, “It's been so many years of rivalry that sometimes I can't believe we're getting married.”

They fell into a comfortable silence, Pascale stroking Charles' face with her fingertips, a smile on her lips, “Mama, do you think they would be proud of me?”

“Charles, they're proud of you, I know that,” she pulled Charles into her arms, holding the boy who was so much taller than her. “Your father and Jules were sure that one day this whole rivalry would become something more, and Anthoine would be here annoying you, talking about how you fell in love with the enemy. They'll be watching and blessing you today.”

“I hope they're content because a part of today will also be for them,” Charles said heartily. “But I want to think about happy things, think that today is my wedding day, that I'm very cute, and that Max will be waiting for me at that altar.”

“I just stopped by to see you before the wedding and give you the rosary, but I have to go because there's still a drive to the church,” Pascale said, giving her son a quick kiss on the forehead before moving away to take one last look at him. “Enjoy every second of this day, celebrate your love with Max, and be absolutely happy, mon bébé.”

“Je t'aime maman,” Charles gave his mother a final hug, taking the opportunity to give the last thought to those who wouldn't be physically present, but who, if his mother was right, would be from heaven blessing him and Max.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Daniel was growing annoyed by Max's restlessness. It was almost impossible to finish fixing the medals on his uniform of Captain of the Royal Netherlands Navy when the Prince looked more like a toddler who had just consumed a ton of sugar.

“If you don't stop moving, I'm going to end up sticking this medal in you,” Daniel spoke slightly exasperatedly as he continued trying to fix up his best friend. “Why do you have so many medals?”

“The Accession Medal, the ribbon and star of a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of the Netherlands, the star of a Knight of the House Order of the Golden Lion of Nassau and the Officer’s Cross,” Max explained.

“Finally,” Daniel exclaimed relieved as he finished his arduous task. “Don't let Charles hear me, but you look tasty.”

The two of them laughed at Daniel's comment, accustomed to the playful flirtation that had become such a natural part of their friendship, “I have never been so nervous in my life.”

“You're not doubting anything, yeah?” Daniel asked confused and a bit worried, taking the opportunity to look at himself one last time in the big mirror in the middle of the room.

“No, no,” Max assured quickly. “It's just that my head is considering the worst possible scenarios, like Charles finding out in the last minute that he doesn't love me and running back to Monaco.”

“You're kidding, right?” Daniel asked incredulously with the things that Max's head was able to create. “Mate, Charles is completely in love with you. He knows you're a hot-headed, dirty-mouthed, stubborn guy with an asshole as father and still wants to spend the rest of his life by your side.”

Max rolled his eyes, snorting a laugh at Daniel's comment about his father, “I still think some tanned Monegasque ex-boyfriend is going to show up and profess all his love for Charles.”

“Yeah, as if there was even the slightest chance that a tanned Monegasque ex-boyfriend would invade a palace full of guards and get to Charles," Daniel said sarcastically, chuckling a little. “All you need to think about is how sexy Charles is going to look in that winter uniform and how good the honeymoon sex is going to be.”

“Is sex after marriage really the best?” Max asked curiously.

“All I'm going to say is that Michael needed to help me walk after our honeymoon,” Daniel winked and Max made a disgusted expression to annoy him. “Now let's go because the groom can't be late.”

The road to Nieuwe Kerk would be made by foot, a tradition that was still respected so that the people could see the Prince and his best man one last time before the wedding. Max was always very restrained in his emotions, but now it was obvious to anyone that he was radiant with happiness.

The church was beautifully decorated with roses and tulips, a delicate way to honor the Netherlands and Monaco, and as he glanced through the hundreds of guests, Max managed to find his mother, Charles's mother, Victoria, Lorenzo, Arthur, Tom, Kelly, Lando, Alex, George, Lewis, Sebastian, Nico, Michael, Caterina, as well as so many other relatives, friends, foreign royals and celebrities — most of them, had been invited by Charles, who had many contacts and couldn't leave anyone out.

“This is still so surreal,” Max whispered to Daniel who was standing next to him, knowing full well that there were cameras from all over the world recording every single move he made.

“I'm sure you'll cry when you see him,” Daniel chuckled. “I think your father has arrived.”

Max looked to the church door, realizing that Jos had indeed arrived, which meant that in a few minutes he would be exchanging his vows with the man of his life, and Max felt the love and happiness growing even more in his chest if that was even possible.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Charles appreciated the beautiful streets of Amsterdam through the armored windows of the car that was taking him to Nieuwe Kerk, it was still strange to think that he would spend the rest of his life away from Monaco, but he knew that it would be much easier to adapt having Max by his side.

“How are you feeling?” Pierre asked, pulling Charles out of his thoughts.

“Nervous,” Charles admitted with an anxious laugh, looking at his best friend and best man. “This is the easiest and best choice of my life, but it's still a little scary.”

“If I know Max, I'm sure he's feeling like this too,” Pierre said, earning a little laugh from the Monegasque. “You know I'm proud of you, right? I'm so happy you found Max, you deserve to be so happy, Charlie.”

Charles gave a heartfelt smile, they never needed to talk much to show that they understood and loved each other, their friendship always had a deeper connection than they could explain. The Monegasque pulled Pierre for a hug, “I love you, Pear. Thank you for being by my side, for calling me out when I'm being a little shit, for putting up with me all these years, for being my best man every single day.”

“Hey, hey,” Pierre spoke softly, taking Charles' face in his hands and wiping the tears that threatened to fall once more. “No crying, it's your wedding day, Max wants to see your beautiful smile.”

“Maxy likes your smile,” Jaye spoke distractedly, playing with the little basket of flowers that was in her lap, and Charles couldn't control his smile.

Charles and Max had specially chosen Jaye and Jason to be one of the flower girls and the page boys as a way to include them at such an important moment, the children had been so happy with the invitation that for four months they asked every day how long they needed to wait for the wedding.

“We have arrived, Your Serene Highness,” the driver announced as soon as the car stopped in front of Nieuwe Kerk, and Charles felt a bit weird knowing that this was the last time he would be called that.

“Ready to become the Prince of the Netherlands?” Pierre asked, gently squeezing Charles' hand.

“I was born for this, Pear,” Charles joked, taking a deep breath and pushing his fears away from his mind and focusing on the one thing that mattered: his love for Max.

One of the Royal Guards opened the car door, and Charles was able to hear the noise of the cameras and the crowd that had gathered to watch the Royal Wedding. Jaye and Jason got out of the car first and soon were greeted by one of the managers who was responsible for the care of the page boys and flower girls, Pierre gave a last kiss on his best friend's forehead before getting out of the car to take his place inside the church, Charles was the last to get out, being greeted by an eruption of cheers, he graciously fixed his uniform and waved to the people.

The Monegasque took one last deep breath, squeezing his hand against his father's rosary which was gently placed between his fingers, feeling calmer, being sure that Hervé was watching over him. Charles started walking slowly towards the church door, being followed by Jaye and Jason.

Charles stopped at the church door as one of the managers signaled, his eyes quickly swept the place and although he could see some friends, relatives, and the other flower girls and page boys — they had chosen Lorenzo's twins, Victoria's son, and Lewis and Sebastian's daughter — he still couldn’t see Max.

“Are you seeing him?” Max whispered to Daniel, his heart pounding against his ribcage.

“Not yet,” Daniel replied, trying to stretch his neck to see Charles, but without success. “But at least he didn't run away with a tanned and Monegasque ex-boyfriend.”

The orchestra began to play the melody and Charles finally received the positive sign to start walking down the aisle, a bright smile shining on his face as he began his walk to Max, the flower girls, and the page boys following right behind him. Charles managed to recognize some of the guests, even if he couldn't look at them for so long, his attention having to remain ahead.

The biggest smile broke in Max's face as soon as Charles got closer to the altar, his breath getting caught in his throat when he saw how dazzling the Monegasque was, “Wow,” Max whispered to himself, earning an amused chuckle from Daniel who was beside him.

Charles felt a small twinge of pain in his chest and squeezed the small rosary in his hand a little harder when he saw the empty space next to his mother and his two brothers, a small tribute to Hervé who was supposed to be walking Charles down the aisle — a tradition that fell on Jos' shoulders who refused to walk Charles, an attitude that hurt Max more than he admitted.

They finally found each other at the altar, their broad smiles speaking for themselves when they first looked in the eyes that day, Max held one of Charles' hands in a lovely scene that made everyone in the church smile together.

“You are stunning,” Max whispered, taking just a moment to appreciate Charles and how lucky he was to spend the rest of his life by his side.

“I'm sure you came out of my best dreams,” Charles whispered back, content with the lovely way Max blushed.

They stared sweetly at each other as the orchestra continued to play, forgetting for a moment that they were in a church being watched by millions of people around the world, lost in their little world.

Charles leaned down slightly to deliver the small rosary of pearls into the tiny hands of one of Lorenzo's daughters at the moment the flower girls and the page boys were making their way out.

“We are gathered here today in the sight of God, and the presence of friends and loved ones, to celebrate one of life’s greatest moments,” the archbishop began his sermon as soon as the orchestra finished playing. “We are here to give recognition to the worth and beauty of love, and to add our best wishes and blessings to the words that will unite Max Emilian Verstappen and Charles Marc Hervé Percival Leclerc in holy matrimony.”

All the guests sat down again, attentively observing the celebration as the archbishop continued his sermon, “Max and Charles, marriage is the most important of all earthly relationships. It should be entered into reverently, thoughtfully, and with a full understanding of its sacred nature. Your marriage must stand by the strength of your love and the power of faith in each other and God. Just as two threads woven in opposite directions form a beautiful tapestry, so to your two lives when merged together will make a beautiful marriage.”

The two walked side by side to the seats that were waiting for them, never letting go of each other as Max drew small imaginary circles on the palm of the Monegasque's hand, exchanging a quick smile before turning to the archbishop again.

“Love is very patient and kind, never jealous or envious, never boastful or proud. Love is never haughty or selfish or rude. Love does not demand it’s own way. Love is not irritable or touchy. Love does not hold grudges and will hardly notice when others do it wrong. Love is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. If you love someone, you will be loyal to them no matter what the costs. You will always believe in them, always expect the best in them, and will always stand your ground in defending them,” the archbishop continued his sermon.

Although Charles was a little more religious than Max, the choice to hold a religious wedding was only due to a tradition that required the Royal Family's weddings to be held in the church.

The archbishop continued with his beautiful sermon about love, and the two Princes kept stealing small glances and smiles, and almost all the guests were having fun with the way they looked more like shy boyfriends than grooms on their wedding day.

The two stood up again to make their vows in front of the altar, something that wasn’t so traditional because they usually took the vows of the Catholic Church, but Charles and Max made a point of adding this little modern touch to their wedding.

“I promise to always remember that you are indeed human,” Charles started earning a laugh from Max and the guests. “That you may sometimes make questionable decisions, decisions I don't agree with, like playing soccer with our nephews on the only free weekend we had before our wedding. But what I love about you is that I know that you do these things because you care so deeply about those who are close to you and you are genuinely one of the most thoughtful and considerate people I have ever known. You remind me of my father in this way.”

Charles blinked fighting the tears, but he didn't lose the expressions of joy and sorrow on the face of his mother and his brothers, “Today, I promise to show that same care and consideration for you for the rest of my life. Right now, it's the easiest thing in the world because I honestly love you so much and want nothing but your happiness, but even when things are difficult and it gets hard to do, I will always show that same love, care, and consideration for you.”

Max was smiling broadly with Charles' words, his head tilted to the side while he faced the Monegasque as if he were the most precious jewel in the whole universe.

“I, Charles Marc Hervé Percival Leclerc, take you, Max Emilian Verstappen, to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. Whatever may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold so I give you my life to keep, so help me God,” Charles traditionally concluded his vows, holding Max's hands and looking deep into his brilliant blue eyes.

“Charles, our love wasn't at first sight, we took almost ten years to even become friends, but I still remember when we reunited during an official visit and from that day on my heart became entirely yours,” the two smiled together with the memories that came back in their minds of how they hid in the hallways of the Prince's Palace of Monaco to make out without getting caught.

“As we continue to grow in our lives together, I promise to give you all of my words when needed, and to share in the silence when they aren’t, to pick you up if you are down, to love you unconditionally, to care for you and our family for as long as we live, to adventure with you always, to say I love you before falling asleep each night, to be the best father I can be as we grow a family together, and to always know in the deepest part of my soul, that when challenges arise we will always find our way back to one another,” Max spoke delicately, watching as Charles looked at him adoringly with his eyes shining.

“I, Max Emilian Verstappen, take you, Charles Marc Hervé Percival Leclerc, to be my husband, my partner in life and my one true love. I will cherish our friendship and love you today, tomorrow, and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will laugh with you and cry with you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst, through the difficult and the easy. Whatever may come I will always be there. As I have given you my hand to hold so I give you my life to keep, so help me God.”

The two exchanged another loving smile, giving a gentle little squeeze since they couldn't share more explicit words or caresses inside the church — or in any other public space, always having to respect the royal protocol.

The orchestra started playing again, but this time it was for Jason to bring the rings to the couple, the boy seemed so happy with his role in the wedding, smiling at everyone on his way to Charles and Max, getting close enough to deliver the rings.

“Thank you,” Max whispered to his half-brother, briefly pinching Jason's cheeks that frowned before running back to his place.

“Max Emilian Verstappen, do you take Charles Marc Hervé Percival Leclerc to be your husband?” the archbishop inquired.

“I do,” Max answered with a wide smile on his face.

“Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him forevermore?”

“I do.”

The archbishop turned to Charles, who also had a bright smile on his face, “Charles Marc Hervé Percival Leclerc, do you take Max Emilian Verstappen to be your husband?

“I do,” Charles replied without hesitation.

“Do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect him, forsaking all others and holding only unto him forevermore?”

“I do.”

As they stared lovingly at each other, the archbishop continued, “The ring is a symbol of the unbroken circle of love. Love freely given has no beginning and no end, no giver and no receiver for each is the giver and each is the receiver. May these rings always remind you of the vows you have taken.”

Max took one of the beautiful rings encrusted with diamonds, holding one of Charles' hands before he started talking, “I, Max Emilian Verstappen, take thee, Charles Marc Hervé Percival Leclerc, to be my husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, in joy and sorrow, and I promise my love to you. And with this ring, I take you as my husband for as long as we both shall live.”

The ring fits perfectly on Charles's finger and the Monegasque took some of his attention to appreciate it, a way to symbolize their love. Charles took a deep breath, picking up the other ring that was on top of the little red cushion before holding Max's hand, “I, Charles Marc Hervé Percival Leclerc, take thee, Max Emilian Verstappen, to be my husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer, in joy and sorrow, and I promise my love to you. And with this ring, I take you as my husband for as long as we both shall live.”

Max wanted to kiss Charles right there, to forget for just a second that they were in a church being watched by millions of people around the world, the love in his heart seemed to have doubled.

“Bless their marriage, O God, as they begin their journey down the road of life together. We don’t know what lies ahead for the road turns and bends, but help them to make the best of whatever comes their way,” the archbishop began to hold the wedding prayer, all the guests bowing their heads momentarily as a sign of respect. “Help them to continue to enjoy each other as they did when they first met. Help them to realize that nothing nor no one is perfect and to look for the good in all things and all people including themselves. Help them to respect each other’s likes and dislikes, opinions and beliefs, hopes and dreams, and fears even though they may not always understand them.”

“Help them to learn from each other and to help each other to grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Help them to realize that no matter what happens to them they will hold on to each other and know that things have a way of working out for the good. Help them to create for their children a peaceful, stable home of love as a foundation on which they can build their lives,” Charles and Max smiled as they listened about children, a topic they had discussed many times as the two loved kids and couldn't wait to have theirs running through the halls of the palace and being as cheeky as they were.

“But most of all, dear God, help them to keep lit the torch of love that they now share so that by their loving example they may pass on the light of love to their children and their children’s children forever.”

“Amen,” Charles, Max, and all the guests said at the same time as the prayer came to an end.

“To make your relationship work will take love. This is the core of your marriage and why you are here today,” the archbishop initiated the final comments. “It will take trust, to know, that in your hearts, you truly want what is best for each other. It will take dedication, to stay open to one another, and to learn and grow together. It will take faith, to go forward together, without knowing exactly what the future brings. And it will take commitment, to hold to the journey you both have pledged to today.”

And finally, the words that Max and Charles were so excited to hear were spoken, “By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and husband.”

All the guests were smiling, but nothing compared to the way Charles and Max were radiant, their hearts pounding louder and their eyes glowing with happiness, and how they wanted to be able to ignore all the protocol and kiss right there, caring about nothing but being in each other's arms.

“I love you,” the two whispered at the same time, laughing a little at the coincidence.

They smiled openly, wrapping their arms and making their way down the enormous aisle adorned with beautiful flowers, feeling comfort from being so close to each other, with Daniel and Pierre following right behind them, as well as the flower girls and page boys.

The crowd that was gathering in front of Nieuwe Kerk erupted with cheers and applause when the youngest couple emerged, they quickly stopped, using their free arms to wave to the public before continuing their way to the car that was awaiting them.

Max helped Charles climb first in the open car that would take them to the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, breathing with relief as they sat in the comfort of the car, and Charles had to resist the urge to nestle in his husband's arms — it was still so strange, but at the same time so good to use that word to refer to them.

“I love you so much, my husband,” Max whispered sweetly, holding Charles' hands in his and forgetting for a moment that they needed to wave and smile to the crowd, just paying attention to the Monegasque beside him. “Damn, it's so good to call you my husband, to know that I'll wake up next to you every day.”

“You are the love of my life,” Charles whispered back, cherishing the small details of Max's face, of his husband, from his blue eyes and long eyelashes to his rosy cheeks and plump lips. “My husband.”

“I could skip all the celebration and go right to the honeymoon,” Max bent his head down so that no camera could capture what he was talking about.

Charles laughed, turning quickly to wave to the people before turning to Max again, “You can't say these things in public, mon amour.”

They made the way to the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, where the reception for the wedding guests would take place, and at night they would have a smaller party with only their closest relatives and friends, and the next day they would travel to their honeymoon in Bali.

The surroundings of the Palace were decorated with beautiful tulips of all colors directly from Keukenhof, and there were even more people waiting for the royal couple and their long-awaited first kiss on the balcony, and they really couldn't blame them because they were also eager to give their first kiss as a married couple.

Their journey was a little longer because they needed to do the procession through the city, which meant that they didn't even have time to be alone when they arrived at the Royal Palace, they were soon taken to one of the large rooms where the other members of their families and their best man were.

“One minute,” Max said to one of the event managers, stopping in front of the door still closed. “Come here, baby.”

Max gently pulled Charles' hand, making the Monegasque fall into his strong arms in an embrace, the two closing their eyes and just enjoying one of the few moments they would have before all the madness returned, they would be so busy attending all the guests and taking the official photos that it would be difficult to be by themselves again.

“Je t'aime tellement, my prince,” Charles whispered as he wrapped his arms around Max's waist, catching the soothing scent of his husband. "You look so hot in this uniform."

Max laughed at Charles' comment, “I can't wait to spend the rest of my life by your side, Charlie.”

They leaned their foreheads, Max's fingers gently stroking Charles' cheek and it was more than obvious that their first kiss as husbands would happen in that hallway if it wasn't for the interruption of the manager.

“Your Royal Highnesses,” she spoke timidly, drawing their attention — and Charles found it a little strange to be called Royal Highness and not Serene Highness, but he would get used to being Prince of the Netherlands and Prince of Orange-Nassau. “The people are waiting for you.”

The two intertwined their fingers before entering the room where the two families waited for them with big smiles, even if Jos hadn't arrived yet.

“Cheers to the newest couple,” Daniel spoke animatedly and everyone cheered.

“My baby,” Pascale exclaimed as she approached them both, Lorenzo and Arthur right behind her. “The ceremony was so beautiful and I'm so happy for you! Max, please take good care of him.”

“I will give my life if it's necessary to protect him,” Max replied solemnly, accepting the tight embrace he received from his mother-in-law.

“Always so dramatic,” Charles teased. “It's like he's Monegasque.”

“I'm just being honest,” Max gave a wink to the Monegasque who just rolled his eyes with a smile on his lips.

“I still can't believe my baby brother got married,” Lorenzo spoke up, extending his arms to hug Charles. “All the happiness in the world to you.”

“It's kind of easy to believe that Charles got married,” Arthur said with a small smile. “The hard thing is to believe it was with Max, you two were fighting all the time.”

“Sometimes I'm surprised too,” Max said jokingly, squeezing Charles' hand lightly before being greeted by his older brother-in-law.

“You won't forget me now that you've become Prince of the Netherlands, huh?” Arthur asked timidly, taking his chance to embrace Charles.

“Artie, I'll never forget you,” Charles promised, hugging his younger brother tightly and running one of his hands on his back. “The Leclerc brothers fight and get into trouble, but they never fall apart, remember? You're my baby brother and I'll piss you off for the rest of our lives, and you can always come to visit me when Lorenzo gets too boring.”

“I heard that,” Lorenzo said pretending to be upset, but they just laughed.

“My three boys,” Pascale said, giving them a tight hug.

Charles and Max were also greeted by Lorenzo's wife, who wished them happiness before returning to their seats in the room, but they were soon approached by Sophie, Victoria, and Tom.

Sophie pulled Max into a hug without saying anything, a lovely scene that Charles, Victoria, and Tom watched with smiles on their faces. The Monegasque knew how much his husband missed his family, having almost no time to see them when he was carrying out his official schedule because even though Sophie still held the courtesy style as 'Princess of the Netherlands', after the divorce, she was no longer part of royalty and had no engagements as such.

“Dad is an asshole,” Max murmured in Sophie's ear, referring to how Jos refused to walk Charles down the aisle, how he was late for the couple's official presentation, and how he made clear his disregard towards the marriage.

“My baby,” Sophie spoke taking her son's face in both hands. “That's true, he's an idiot, but that's not what you have to think about today. Today is a day to celebrate your love with Charles and this is the only thing that matters, no indifferent look or rude words can ruin what you have. I love you and I'm proud of you, Charles loves you and is proud of you, that's all that matters.”

“I love you so much,” Max didn't have to say anything else, hugging his mother again and taking a deep breath, focusing on the only thing that mattered that was his love for Charles.

“Charles,” Sophie called, stretching out her hand to reach the Monegasque. “Do you promise to take good care of my baby?”

“I'm not a baby anymore, mom,” Max complained with humor in his voice, making the four of them laugh.

“You will always be my baby, Maxy,” Sophie answered, turning to Charles again.

“I will take care of him with all my heart,” Charles spoke with a smile.

Sophie walked away from Max, pulling Charles for a hug too. While Victoria took the opportunity to congratulate and tease her older brother a little, “You finally became an honest man.”

“So funny,” Max said rolling his eyes.

“But honestly, I'm so happy for you. I hope your marriage is full of love, and that you give me many nephews,” Victoria spoke sweetly, ending the sentence with a wink.

The last hug Max received was from Tom, the two had become great friends over the years, “Congratulations on your wedding, and welcome to the craziest and most incredible journey of your life.”

They talked for a few more seconds, but before anyone else tried to congratulate the young couple, the doors opened and Jos entered the room without even approaching Max and Charles, making it even clearer that he was only there to fulfill his obligations as King.

The stylists approached quickly, only checking if Charles and Max were well fixed for such a remarkable moment as the appearance on the balcony of the Palace.

“Go there, Your Royal Highness,” the manager spoke as she guided the two of them to the large glass door that gave access to the balcony, as soon as the guards opened it was possible to hear the loud shouts of the crowd.

Charles and Max intertwined their fingers before they stepped on the balcony, receiving even louder cheers from the people who had gathered to see them — His Royal Highness Prince Max of the Netherlands, Prince of Orange-Nassau & His Royal Highness Prince Charles of the Netherlands — they smiled openly and waved to the people, and Max never liked to be the focus of the public, but he wouldn't mind spending his whole life there if it meant having Charles by his side.

Gradually the other members also appeared on the balcony, following an order: first, the flower girls and the page boys who seemed to be having fun waving to all those people, then Jos, Sophie, and Pascale appeared as the couple's parents, and finally their siblings and Daniel and Pierre.

“Wave to the crowd, dear,” Charles leaned down low enough to talk to Delphine, one of Lorenzo's daughters, who was always a little shyer than her sister, Hélène; meanwhile, Jaye and Esmee, Lewis and Sebastian's daughter, were chatting animatedly as they waved.

They watched intently as the Royal Netherlands Air Force made acrobatic displays in the sky in honor of the wedding, everyone seemed delighted with the beautiful colors that painted the skies with smoke, Charles unconsciously closing the space between him and Max, although the commentators who were discussing the wedding on TV noticed such and sweet and delicate act.

Max was the first to speak as soon as the acrobatic show was over, “I think it's time for the best part, husband.”

“What?” Charles asked, feigning innocence, knowing very well that Max was referring to their first kiss as husbands, something they had been waiting for since church.

“Let me show you, darling,” Max said, placing his left hand on Charles's face, but in a position so that the people could still see the kiss, they moved their faces closer as the people screamed as they realized what was going to happen, Charles captured Max's lips in a sweet, loving kiss, tasting his rosy lips for a moment before they separated again since the kiss was supposed to be brief.

The audience burst into screams and applause and Charles felt even shyer, his face turning red because he wasn't used to showing affection in public, much less with such a large audience watching every little movement and cheering for them, but Max was loving the way his husband looked so bashful.

“I don't think everyone could see our kiss,” Max whispered again to Charles, and they could have sworn they heard a few giggles from Daniel and Pierre. “One more kiss?”

Charles looked at Max intending to roll his eyes, but how could he deny his husband a kiss when he looked so beautiful, happy, and in love? For God’s sake, Charles felt the luckiest man in the world to have Max in his life, for him to be the love of his life.

Then Charles nodded lightly, and they moved closer once again for a kiss, and although the people seemed more excited than ever watching two kisses from the heir and his husband and that the whole world was watching them, nothing else mattered to Charles and Max but being in each other's arms, knowing that their journey was just beginning and that their love would light the way even in the darkest moments, they had each other and that was more than enough.


End file.
